Game-board.



Patented Apr. 23, 190|.

L. L. LUUNSBURY.

G A M E B 0A R D (Application led July 23, 1900.)

(No Model.)

INVENTOR'.

WITNESSLSZ UNITED STATES PATENT OEEICE.

LOUIS L. LOUNSBURY, OF WINDSOR, CANADA.

GAM E-BOARD.

ASPEGIFIA'JION forming part Of Letters Patent No. 672,839, dated April 23, 1901.

Application filed July 23, 1900. 4Serial No. 24,465. (No model.)

To all whom it may concer-71,:

Be it known that I, LOUIS L. LoUNsBURY, a subject of the Queen of Great Britain, residing at Windsor, in the county of Essex, Province of Ontario, Dominion of Canada, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Game-Boards, of which the following is a specication, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

My invention relates to improvements in game-boards, and especially to that class of boards which are inclined to actuate balls, marbles, or spherical bodies and having ways and pockets to receive said balls and stops to check their motion. A game similar in many respects to base-ball is played upon this board, it being provided with a suitable device at its upper end for delivering the ball to bats or disks used to actuate the ball near the opposite end; and its object is to provide a gameboard upon which a game adapted to amuse and at the same time train the eye and hand to be quick and accurate may be played and also to provide certain new and useful features hereinafter more fully described, and particularly pointed out in the claims, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a plan view of a device embodying my invention. same on line 2 2 of Fig. l. Fig. 3 is a section on line 3 3 of Fig. l. Fig. 4 is a detail showing the delivering-chute in section, and Fig. 5 is a detail showing one of the bats and its guard in perspective.

Like letters refer to like parts in all of the gures.

A is a board or bottom having side and end walls A and provided at its upper or elevated end with thumb-screws B near each corner, extending through said board and engaging the table or supporting surface upon which the board rests. By turning one or both of the screws the board is adjusted to a level position or its inclination changed,as desired. C is a pocket or receptacle at the upper end of 'said board to retain balls D of any suitable material and dimensions used in playing the game. o The board is provided with a central Fig. 2 is a section of theraised portion E, forming a way down which the balls D are rolled, and near the lower end of said way and at each side thereof are deiiecting-cheeks F. G represents diagonal blocks at the lower end of said way E, projecting above the surface of the same, which form deflecting-surfaces to turn the balls to the right or left, causing them to pass over the inclined blocks H at each side of said way, and a passage G is left between the adjacent ends of said blocks G, through which the balls may pass. Opposite this passage G is a suitable bat I or device for striking the ball, and similar bats I are provided opposite the blocks H. These bats or disks of wood are strung on an elastic cord J, passing through their axes, which is supported by posts K and is secured at its ends to the sides A of the board. Adjacent to each of the bats I is a guard L, preferably formed of wire, extending upward to near the top of said bats, thence rearward at right angles and over the disk, and a stop M is placed opposite each bat to limit the length of stroke.

At the upper end of the way E and at its center is pivoted an inclined chute N, having a handle N to turn the same upon its pivotpin O, upon which pin it is so pivoted that its upper or handle portion may be raised to vary the inclination of said chute, as shown -in dotted lines in Fig. 4. Adjacent to the upper corners of the Way E are sockets P, adapted to receive a pin or indicator Q, and inclined blocks R, having their inclination toward the lower end of said board, lie transversely across the Ways S, which are at each side of the way E and form a receptacle for the balls above said incline, the high side of the same preventing said balls from rolling down said Ways. Near the middle of the ways S and above the inclines R are pivoted the adjustable stops T, with their ends resting upon the high sides of said inclines and. adapted to swing from side to side of said ways S to check the course of the balls as they passup the same, and thus prevent them from rolling over the incline R. Stop-pins U prevent said stops T 4from being swung over the way E,'and score indicators or counnation of said chute.

ters V and W are secured to the sides of said way near its upper and lower ends, respectively.

The game is played by first taking one of the balls D and placing it in the upper end of the chute N and causing it to roll down the same, said chute forminga guide to direct the course of said ball so that it may pass directly down the center of the way E and through the opening G or so that it may be deflected by the cheeks F or blocks G and pass to the side across the blocks H. By experiment it may be determined just how many points to the right or left it is necessary to turn the chute N in order to cause the ball to move in a desired path, and the speed of the ball may be varied by varying the incli- When the ball reaches the lower end of the passage G or a point opposite thebats I on the blocks H, the player at the lower end of the board should grasp the disk or bat opposite the ball and moving it to the position shown in Fig. 5 release the same, causing it to strike the passing ball, which will be driven thereby toward the opposite end of the board. When the ball is driven up the board, as described, the player at the upper end thereof should endeavor to stop or deect the ball by placing the end of one of the stops T or the chute N in its path, and thus prevent the ball from entering that portion of the ways S which is above the inclines R. The perpendicular portions of the guard L prevent the disk I from rebounding when it strikes the block H and also limit the forward movement of the disk over said block, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 5, and the said guard is extended rearward and over the disk, so that if the player in operating the bat raises the disk above the stop M said disk will strike the guard and be deiiected.

The indicator Q is used in accordance with the various rules of the game by the player at the upper end of the board to indicate the side of the board to which he expects the ball to go, and the counters V are used to tally the points of each inning or time during which the player at the upper end of the board serves the ball, and the score-indicators W tally the points made by each player.

What l claim as my invention is- 1. A game-board having an inclined bottom forming a way for balls a bat or series of bats at the lower end of said board, an inclined adjustable chute near the upper end of said board, and a pivoted stop at each side of said chute adapted to be swung across the way and prevent the balls from passing.

2. A game-board having an inclined bot- .tom forming a way for balls, an incline having its inclination toward the lower end of said board, extending across said way and forming a receptacle for the balls above the same, an adjustable chute near the upper end of said board, stops pivoted to said board, one at each side of said chute, and having their lower ends resting on said incline, and abat or series of bats near the lower end of said board.

3. In an inclined game-board, havinga central raised portion forming an inclined way, and side inclined Ways, an inclined adjustable chute at the upper end of said central way, deiiecting-cheeks secured to said way near its lower end, a series of bats near the lower ends of said ways, inclines extending transversely of said side ways near their upper ends and a pivoted stop or stops in said side ways.

4. In a game-board having inclined side ways and a central inclined way, a pivoted chute at the upper end of the central way, deflecting-cheeks at each side of said central way near its lower end, diagonal blocks having a passage between their adjacent ends, inclined blocks at the sides of said way at its lower end, bats opposite said passage and at its ends to the opposite sides of said board a disk axially mounted upon said cord, a guard consisting of a wire extending upward at each side of said disk, thence rearward and across the same, and a stop on said board at a distance from said guard to limit the backward movement of said disk.

G. In a game-board having inclined ways, an elastic cord secured at its ends to the opposite sides of said board and extending transversely across said ways at their lower ends, a disk axially mounted upon said cord opposite each of said ways, posts secured to said board at the sides of each of said ways and adapted to support said cord, a guard for each of said disks consisting of a wire extending upward at each side of said disk, thence rearward and over the same, and a stop at a distance from said guard.

7. In a game-board having a central and side ways, a pivoted chute at the upper end of said central way, deIiecting-cheeks at the sides of said way and deflecting-blocks at its lower end having a passage between the adjacent ends, inclined blocks at the sides of said central way and within said side ways, a series of posts adjacent to the blocks,` bats mounted on said posts, guards for the bats opposite the inclined blocks, inclines in said side ways near their upper ends, and pivoted stops adjacent to said inclines.

8. In a game-board having a bottom portion and side and end walls, thumb-screws extending through said bottom, a central raised portion forming a way, a pivoted chute at the upper end of said way, delectingcheeks at each side of said way, diagonal blocks at the lower end, and inclined blocks at each side of said way and within said side ways, a series of posts adjacent to said diagonal and inclined blocks, bats supported by IOO IIO

said posts, guards adjacent to the bats oppo- In testimony whereof I ax my signature site the inclined blocks, a stop-block oppoin presence of two Witnesses. site each of said bats inclines extending v transversely of said Ways, pivoted stops ad- LOUIS L LOUNSBURY 5 jacent to said inclines, sockets near the up- Witnesses:

per end of said central way and a' pin Within OTTO F. BARTHEL,

one of said sockets. JOSEPH A. NOELKE. 

